As the Dwight Howard saga drags tediously into eternity this summer, listen for the sounds of laughter in Oakland. You'll never get a better indication that things have changed in the Warriors' organization.

He's holding the Lakers hostage, he's got everyone all excited in Houston and Dallas, and they're probably holding out hope in Atlanta and Brooklyn. We can't be certain of this - after all, they have to explore all options - but the Warriors should be above the fray. They found stability and relevance this season after enduring decades of ridicule. Howard recently mentioned the Warriors as one of his desired destinations, but I can't imagine them in some ludicrous tap-dance with one of sports' biggest clowns.

I loved Howard's game in Orlando, during the days he was under franchise control. Blessed with perhaps the NBA's most imposing physique since Wilt Chamberlain's, he was all about endurance (three games missed in a five-year span), high-percentage shots, rebounding and blocked shots. He loved the game, unveiled a wicked sense of humor and had the world on a string. It all seemed to be leading to an NBA championship, particularly after Howard's Magic reached the 2009 Finals against the Lakers.

We'll never know exactly what happened once he began pondering free agency, but it sent him reeling in a swirl of insecurity. He seemed to have an entirely new theory about his future each week. As ESPN.com's Tim Keown wrote during one particularly baffling episode, "There's almost no one taking your side, probably because there are so many sides to your side that it's difficult to pick one to defend."

We find him now as an ongoing laughingstock in the league (that's how I see it, anyway), still unable to make up his mind, perhaps about to join his third team in three seasons. Tell me one superstar who did that on his own.

Worse yet, he's not the same player, in the wake of a back operation and a bum shoulder (torn labrum) that may eventually need surgery.

He put up solid numbers with this year's Lakers, but he wasn't fooling anyone. His court presence was nonexistent. The Lakers couldn't go to him inside when it mattered, because he's a comically dreadful free-thrower and, after all these years, he still doesn't have a reliable post-up shot.

Could you picture Howard with the Warriors if they hadn't traded for Andrew Bogut? Of course. Co-owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber are all-glitter guys who love a big, ostentatious show that leads to the promised land (the San Francisco waterfront, for instance). Now that Bogut has been part of a magical season, and is intent on being healthier next year, they'd be crazy to tear up their roster for King Wanderlust, who'd probably need no more than a week in Oakland to wonder if he did the right thing.

If the Lakers can't lock up Howard by July 1, this summer will be all about their sign-and-trade options. Sources claim it would cost the Warriors Bogut and either Harrison Barnes or Klay Thompson - for my money, an unacceptably severe blow to the team's chemistry. Just remember that Howard, in position to anchor one of the greatest franchises in professional sports history and perpetuate the Lakers' tradition of great centers, just might prefer ducking into the shadows.

Leave the Warriors' future to those smart guys in the front office, not a player imprisoned by his dreams, forever knocking on the door of an empty room.

Around the NBA

-- Has the league ever enjoyed such backcourt depth? A recent Sports Illustrated piece told of Memphis' Mike Conley gathering teammates to watch one of the Warriors-Spurs games, because, "I'm in awe of what Stephen Curry is doing. I've never seen anything like it." And yet, when the three all-NBA teams were announced, the guards were Kobe Bryant-Chris Paul, Tony Parker-Russell Westbrook and Dwyane Wade-James Harden. Who's arguing with that?

-- Can't we just wait on these things? Who needs to hear about Tim Duncan's divorce and the courting of Memphis coach Lionel Hollins during the playoffs?

-- Did the Clippers fire coach Vinny Del Negro after getting Paul's assurance he'd stay? Probably, but one can't be sure. The Clippers (and Kings) are checking out prized Warriors assistant Michael Malone, but they wouldn't make a bad call with Byron Scott or Brian Shaw, either.

-- As much as the Knicks tried to put Jeremy Lin in the rear-view mirror, they couldn't - not with Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni simply vanishing at the finish line.

-- The financial website 24/7WallSt.com is predicting the demise of the WNBA within months, due to Commissioner David Stern's impending retirement. Stern's successor, whomever it may be, can't let that happen. Brittney Griner isn't going to jack up TV ratings because she isn't spectacular (just very, very good), but that's not the point. Just as there must be a women's pro soccer league, there has to be an outlet for the stars of women's basketball to make a living. And that means owners who can afford to lose money for the cause.